HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Mad House ran arguably the best race of his young career in the Grade 3, $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap last weekend at Oaklawn Park and now he could take his sharp form to either Churchill Downs or Laurel Park. Mad House was a determined half-length winner over Roll On Big Joe in the Count Fleet. He covered six furlongs on a fast track in 1:08.93 and for the effort earned his best Beyer Speed Figure, a 102. Mad House invaded off an allowance win at Tampa Bay Downs. “I was impressed,” said David VanWinkle, who trains Mad House. “Going there, I needed a few things. I needed for him to be on the lead. He made the lead, and everything just worked out after that. I know that Roll On Big Joe did test him good down the lane, but he dug in and tried and won. I was very happy with him.” :: Live racing action at Oaklawn Park! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. VanWinkle said Tuesday that Mad House was returning to Florida. “He’s going to be with me at Gulfstream until we leave for his next race,” he said. VanWinkle said Mad House likely would make his next start in either the Grade 3, $150,000 Maryland Sprint Stakes on the Preakness undercard May 16 at Laurel or the Grade 3, $275,000 Aristides on May 30 at Churchill. “Those are the two options for us,” he said. Mad House is a 4-year-old son of Vekoma who races for James Thares. He put four straight wins together last year in a streak that began in a maiden special weight at Canterbury Park and continued through a win in the Grade 2 Gallant Bob at Parx Racing. Mad House closed his 3-year-old season with a 14th-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He has now won six of his last seven starts and overall is 6 for 12 for earnings of $603,015. “He just needed to figure it out,” VanWinkle said. Mad House was a $47,000 purchase by Thares during the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s spring auction of 2-year-olds in training in April 2024. Claiming strong The Oaklawn meet that opened Dec. 12 has seen 406 horses claimed through Thursday, according to statistics provided by the Hot Springs, Ark., track. The transactions for those claims total $8.3 million. The most “popular” horses include Forty Love, who was claimed for $16,000 in a 20-way shake on March 27. There was a 15-way shake for Jackman, who was an $8,000 claim on Feb. 15. Promises to Dance and Mintastic were each part of 14-way shakes. Promises to Dance was claimed for $26,000 on March 13, and Mintastic was a $10,000 claim on March 19. ◗ Trainers who wish to be eligible for a bonus tied to starters over the course of the entire Oaklawn meet must have at least one starter during the final eight days of the season, according to racing secretary Pat Pope. The Sunday card marks the start of the final eight dates of the meet, which ends May 2. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.